Michigan State University’s Black Student Alliance will host its 45th annual Black Power Rally Sunday, November 5, 2017, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Cobb Great Hall of MSU’S Wharton Center for Performing Arts. Admission is free, and students are highly encouraged to bring friends.

This much anticipated event on the MSU fall calendar will celebrate black culture while recognizing the long journey to freedom and liberation, according to organizers.

“For years, the Black Power Rally has been one of the biggest, most influential events to take place at Michigan State University,” said Yamani Vinson, a senior psychology major from Grand Rapids who serves on the Public Relations Committee for the BSA. “This year, we have a wide range of talents that we will be showcasing and the rally touches on pressing themes that not only ‘call out’ non-black races and ethnicities, but also address concerns within the black community.”

The theme of this year’s rally is “Ain’t nothing changed, but the date,” with the aim of starting a conversation to find ways to prevent history from repeating itself, according to event PR materials. Black Student Alliance members say they want to spark conversations that will spread awareness and encourage unity among the whole community to denounce racialized oppression, encourage people to use their voices to speak out against racism, and take action against the recent rise of “alt-right” and neo-Nazi groups.

“For decades, the Black Student Alliance has cultivated the broad range of talents within our extraordinary student body,” Vinson said. Rally audience members will enjoy a variety of entertainment performed by MSU students who put a lot of thought and hard work into planning for this rally. Performances will include acting, dancing, and other talents that celebrate the different forms of Black Culture.

The keynote speaker is Angela Rye (pictured here), a CNN political commentator and NPR political analyst who co-founded IMPACT, a nonprofit organization that seeks to encourage young professionals in three core areas: economic empowerment, civic engagement, and political involvement.

“I am excited to finally get MSU talking about what it means to not only be a student of color,” Vinson commented, “but what it looks like when an oppressed portion of society becomes just as oppressive as those of the alleged ‘superior race.’”

For more information about this year’s Black Power Rally, contact Vinson at vinsonya@msu.edu.